I expect that to continue using the existing license structure would have involved Bondware paying a fee to SM. (I seem to remember that the first time it was explained that the SM system was going to be ended it referred to SM's 3rd party licence system, so perhaps SM pays for this as well, but that might be completely wrong) On that basis you can see why BW would want to change to their own system. Yes, it's been a bit annoying for some but additional costs are always eventually passed on to the users, so perhaps it for the best.